Elmwood/Brimfield: Talent, experience in the trenches fuel the engines

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By Stan Morris of the Journal Star

Journal Star

By Stan Morris of the Journal Star

Posted Aug. 28, 2014 at 5:45 AM

By Stan Morris of the Journal Star

Posted Aug. 28, 2014 at 5:45 AM

Winning tradition and a strong running game have both become synonymous with Elmwood/Brimfield football. One feeds the other for this 24-year cooperative effort in Peoria County.

And with five seniors on the offensive line and five of seven starters returning up front, not to mention a very talented backfield, it looks like more of the same for the 2014 Trojans.

The offensive line has been the driving force for a program that has a 29-4 record the past three years and has been to the playoffs 10 of the last 11 seasons under 15-year coach Todd Hollis. The last three seasons, E/B has averaged 42.7 points per game.

This year, the Trojans return three-year senior starters Andrew Jordan (right tackle; 6-foot-3, 275 pounds) and left guard Brian Gilles (left guard; 6-1, 225). Jordan is back after missing much of last season with a knee injury.

Also returning on the line are juniors Sean Wilbur (right guard; 6-0, 200) and Brad Novak (left tackle; 6-7, 280), to go along with two-year starting senior right side end Kyle Totton and first-year senior starters Brad Demmin (left side end) and Brock Asbell (center; 6-0, 225).

“I think just about any coach will tell you, if you ask, ‘How’s your team going to be?’ and you say ‘I think we’re pretty good up front’ ... when they can say that, they know that’s a good place to be,” Hollis said. “You’re not having to use smoke and mirrors.”

So Hollis can and did say: “I think we can be pretty good up front on both sides of the ball and that’s a nice place to start.”

Add returning all-area running back Layne Wyatt (1,314 rushing; 546 receiving), experienced backs Donovan McCoy and Jacob Sollenberger, mix in some young talented backups and opposing defensive lines will have their hands full with this bunch.

“Coach says we’re the rolling blob of death as the offensive line, because we’re all just a big jumble in the middle,” said Asbell, who received valuable minutes as a junior. “Coach tells us to kick open doors on the offensive line. You get there and you hit someone, then you just know there’s a talented running back like Layne Wyatt that he’ll find his way to the end zone.”

Totton, who caught 18 passes for 266 yards and 3 TDs from his tight end position last season, agrees.

“That’s what’s cool about our offense,” Totton said. “Everybody knows exactly what we’re going to do but year after year we’ve still been able to push it down people’s throats because we are talented on the line and we have some stud running backs that can make plays for us.”

Page 2 of 3 - The team gets two big tests right away, with perennial Class 2A powers Aledo Mercer County in Week 1 and Annawan/Wethersfield in Week 2 as part of the new Prairieland-Lincoln Trail crossover agreement between conferences.

“This first game is going to show us what we’re made of and set the bar high for the rest of the season, so when we it comes to the playoffs, we’ll know what we’re up against and we won’t come in with a big shock,” Jordan said.

Knowing the four-time state champ (including precursor Aledo) and 2013 semifinalist Mercer County opens the schedule has put a little extra pep in everyone’s step in Trojans land.

“Everybody’s been working a lot harder over the summer for the bigger competition,” Asbell said. “Against Mercer, it’s going to be a good game so everybody’s been putting in a lot of extra work, staying after practicing and we’re doing more stuff.”

The Trojans, however, do have to break in a new quarterback. Michael Houlihan moves from tight end to behind center, ending a four-year run of McCormicks (Brandon and Nick) calling the plays for the program.

The experienced players up front know what they have to do to make Houlihan’s job easier.

“Give him as much time as possible, so he can get confident back there,” Asbell said. “Confidence is a big thing. The more he’s not on the ground, the better the whole team is.”

One player thrilled to be off the ground and back on the field is Jordan, who played the first game last year with a partial tear in his anterior cruciate ligament. The 6-3, 275-pounder then went down for good later in Week 2, after hearing a pop in his knee at Abingdon-Avon.

“It was terrible,” said Jordan, who had surgery on Oct. 1 and was cleared to play again in April — two months ahead of schedule. “I hated being on the sidelines watching, but I had to.”

Hollis appreciated Jordan’s encouragement.

“He did a great job last year grabbing the guy who came in for him and helping him out,” Hollis said. “It’s nice to have a 275-pound kid return to the line.”

As a group, the average for the five interior lineman is 6-2, 241 pounds.

“Not that size is everything,” Hollis said. “but when some of these seniors have been playing the position for four years, you move more quickly than what you’re natural speed really is because you’re not having to think as much.”

Page 3 of 3 - The beat keeps going for Elmwood/Brimfield.

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ELMWOOD BRIMFIELD

the basic stuff

last season: 9-2

likely enrollment class: 2A/3A

coach: Todd Hollis (92-58 in 15 seasons)

the roster

The Trojans return nine starters from an offense that averaged 40.5 points per game last season, including all-area RB Layne Wyatt (1,314 yards rushing, 13 TD; 27 catches for 546 yards). Also back up front are three-year starters Brian Gilles (G) and Andrew Jordan (6-3, 275) as well as sr. Kyle Totton (TE) and jrs. Sean Wilbur and Brad Novak (6-7, 280). But for the first time in five years E/B will not have a McCormick at QB. Michael Houlihan moves from TE to behind center. Trojans also have Donovan McCoy and Jacob Sollenberger back with experience in backfield. Defense strong up the middle, with return of linemen Cameron Passie (6-2, 270) and Nick McCoy, LBs Sollenberger and Gilles and DBs Tom Bowers and Wyatt. Roster is more than 80 members strong.

the season

No soft schedule to start this season for the Trojans, who open at perennial 2A power Aledo Mercer County before coming home to face another annual playoff team in Annawan/Wethersfield in Week 2. The rough start has E/B focused early and will be great tests for a team with quality returning starters. The tests keep coming in Week 3 as Elmwood hosts Knoxville in a game that could decide the Prairieland Blue title. Another big matchup comes in Week 8, with a trip to Abingdon-Avon — the favorite to win the Prairieland Black. A powerful offense and scrappy defense could make for another fun season for this coop.

the facts

Elmwood had 26-game regular season and 14-game league winning streaks snapped last year at Farmington. The Trojans enter 2014 with a three-game regular season winning streak. The seven-member coaching staff has been together a combined 73 years.

the big game

Week 1 vs. Mercer County. The season opener against the reigning powers of the Prairieland and the Lincoln Trail will go a long way to showing how good this Elmwood team can be in 2014. Mercer County, the 2012 state champ, lost much of its talent from a semifinal run a year ago, but the Eagles always seem to reload.

the quote

“I don’t think there was a person in our program that wasn’t excited to see our schedule. The kids are focused right away, there’s no doubt about that. It’s exciting and we’re all looking forward to it.” — Todd Hollis